Silk Paintings

A few years ago, the Van Gogh estate contacted me to do a piece for a villa remodel. I don't know how they got my information, but I was intrigued. They said they'd been particularly impressed with one of Vince's lesser known pieces called "Starry Night," and did I know it? A quick google search on my phone turned up the results. The estate representative felt the piece was great, but lacked a certain something - size, perhaps - and would I be interested in a re-imagination of the original? I'm not one for imagination, but I am one for big, big art. How do I know it's art if it's not big, right? So I set about my own vision of this humble piece. I chose silk as my canvas, and used a wax resist to keep the lighter colors in tact while painting in the darker dyes. To get the most brilliant colors, I steam-set the piece in a home-made chimney set-up. It was crazy.

Anyway, they were so thrilled with the outcome, that during their annual Koninginnedag celebration, they made a special point in the villa tour to stop and admire the painting. The Japanese Imperial family was so impressed, I guess, that they called me the next day. Sure, I could put something together for the birthday of the new Prince, no problem. So I got to work on a new piece, using a water-based resist this time instead of wax. I like to mix it up, you know? I chose a 16"x60" piece of silk and outlined the details with my resist, so that they would maintain a white outline. Sharp. I finished the piece with a black wash, since I thought that seemed regal and masculine. I also steam-set the finished painting, since other methods I'd tried out since the Dutch commission created lack-luster results. Well, they were happy, and the Prince is said to have spoken his first words upon seeing it. Unfortunately, I don't speak Japanese so I'll never know what they were.

No problem! Yes, I covered both sides of the silk with many layers of newsprint. The only drawback to using a wax resist is being sure to get the right mix of waxes. While I think most any will work, beeswax is not so awesome for you to breathe once it reaches a certain temperature. I can't remember now what the blend I used was, I'm afraid. Wax is great for blocking out large areas of silk for painting, but for details, the other resist (called Gutta) can be much easier. You don't need to remove it!

If you want to give silk painting a try, I suggest getting a kit from Dharma Trading Co that will give you everything you need, including instructions! It's where I get all of my dyeing and painting supplies.

Wow! Awesome stuff. Amazed to see that "Starry Night" is considered a "lesser known piece" though! Especially by his estate! It's my favourite painting of all time, and Wikipedia even goes so far as to claim that it's his Magnum Opus.

I think the Imperial prince's first words might have been "domo arigato." Understandable that you had trouble making out what he had said. Many anglophones are unfamiliar with this particular Japanese phrase. A few years back, there was a little-known song that included the phrase "domo arigato" several times throughout.